


Covert Safe Harbour

by fangirl_squee



Category: Friends at the Table (Podcast)
Genre: Bluff City au, F/F, Multi, Secret Samol 2020, the barest implication of lem/fero/emmanuel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-12 04:34:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29129610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fangirl_squee/pseuds/fangirl_squee
Summary: “I didn’t know a city could look like that,” said Adelaide quietly.Adelaide is looking to get out of Blough City. Adaire is looking to get out of the Concern. Hella is looking for Adaire.
Relationships: Adaire Ducarte/Adelaide Tristé/Hella Varal, Fero Feritas/Lem King
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7





	Covert Safe Harbour

**Author's Note:**

  * For [caithullu](https://archiveofourown.org/users/caithullu/gifts).



> happy secret samol!!!

“How much longer is this going to take, exactly?” said Adelaide.

Adaire shushed her. It was perhaps a little unprofessional, but considering that she was currently assisting in the escape of a Blough City individual, her professional days as a Concern agent were very likely behind her. It was probably for the best. Even if she had agreed with her orders about removing the rogue force that was Adelaide Triste from Blough City, she would have hardly felt comfortable being part of an organisation whose goal was apparently to pull the Cities in line with one another, to bring the rules and restrictions of Blough City to Bluff.

She felt relief pulse through her as a light appeared at the end of the tunnel, the unearthly crunch of the road underneath them changing to the smoother noise of the highway that led them towards Bluff City.

Adelaide leant forward. “Is that… huh.”

Adaire’s eyes flicked towards her, her flare of annoyance fading as she took in Adelaide’s expression. Adelaide blinked, opening her mouth and then closing it again. She leant back in her seat and then leant forward again, pressing her lips together.

“I didn’t know a city could look like that,” said Adelaide quietly.

Adaire’s eyes traced the familiar ragged line of the Bluff City skyline, it’s neon lights barely visible in the afternoon sun, every business trying to draw your eye away from the competitors around them with more garish colours and more vibrant signage.

“It’s not much, but it’s home,” said Adaire.

Adelaide’s lips quirked upwards. “Yes, I suppose it is.”

Adaire blinked, refocusing on the road in front of her. She couldn’t afford to get distracted, especially not by the quiet, intimate tone of Adelaide’s voice, or the way her expression softened as Bluff City grew closer. She had to get them to a safe house, and luckily for the both of them she had several.

It began to rain as the pulled up to the safe house, a permanently-reserved motel room on the outskirts of the city. Adaire glared at the clouds. It felt as though it was always raining when she was in a bad mood, like the weather was trying to annoy her on purpose. If it was, it was certainly working, her mood not helped by the fact that Adelaide only chose to carry  _ one  _ of her three bags, leaving Adaire to lug the rest to the door.

Adelaide looked out towards Bluff City as she waited by the door for Adaire, gesturing in the direction of the city as Adaire approached. “In the rain they look a little more similar, don’t you think?”

“Sure,” said Adaire, not looking back as she tried to unlock the door and keep ahold of the bags, “I bet a lot of places are like that.”

Adelaide hummed. “Just how many  _ places  _ have you been, Agent Topstitch?”

“Enough,” said Adaire, “Get inside.”

Adelaide raised her eyebrows, stepping neatly into the room ahead of Adaire. She sat on the edge of the bed, watching as Adaire did a slow sweep of the room, checking for any device she hadn’t installed herself, and double-checking the ones she had. She let out a breath - no disturbance to the place. For now, they were safe.

There was a knock at the door.

Adaire and Adelaide both froze. Adaire reached for her weapon, gesturing towards Adelaide.

“Get in the bathroom,” hissed Adaire. “Don’t come out unless I tell you the coast is clear.”

Miraculously, Adelaide did as she asked, closing the door quietly behind her. Adaire let out a deep breath, holding her gun behind her as she braced herself to open the door.

Instead of the Concern operatives she expected, it was Hella.

“Oh, great, you’re here,” said Hella.

“I am,” said Adaire, “How, exactly, did you know that?”

“I didn’t,” said Hella, “I tried like four of your other hiding places before I got here, and- can I come in? It’s kind of… y’know. The weather’s wild here today. It’s...” She lowered her voice. “About your job?”

Adaire tried not to let the tension show in her body as she stepped back to let Hella in. Hella had been a reliable informant for her for many years, and Adaire had taken great care to keep her off the Concern’s books. If the Concern had tracked them down, they would take a much more efficient route than asking a mid-card wrestler to take her out.

She closed the door behind Hella, giving herself a moment to slow her heartbeat before she turned around. “So, what’s up?”

“I don’t know if it’s anything,” began Hella, as she usually did (it usually was  _ something _ ), “but I was jogging along the pier this afternoon, near the old scuba place, and there were these two weird guys there, talking about the city, and I could tell that they didn’t mean  _ Bluff _ City, y’know?”

Adaire nodded, motioning for Hella to continue.

“So I slowed down and pretending to stretch and stuff, because I know you always appreciate it when I can get you the early news,” said Hella, a grin creeping onto her face, “and, like, I didn’t understand  _ everything _ they were saying, but they were definitely talking about how someone from your side of things was bringing someone over from Blough, and it sounded like, I don’t know, like they didn’t like the idea, like maybe it was secret, which makes sense, right, because you always said that’d be against the rules, and- what?”

“Nothing,” said Adaire. She cleared her throat. “Did they say anything about the person being brought through?”

“Not much,” said Hella, “Just that they were kind of a big deal.”

“Thank you,” said Adelaide, opening the bathroom door, “I’d like to think so.”

Hella’s eyes went wide, looking from Adelaide to Adaire and back again. “Uh…”

Adaire pinched the bridge of her nose. “Adelaide, I told you to stay in there until I said it was safe to come out.”

“If I was good at following rules I would have stayed in Blough City,” said Adelaide, ”Although if I knew you were hiding such charming friends over here, perhaps I would have come anyway.”

Hella’s cheeks flushed. Adaire grit her teeth, letting out a deep breath through her nose and trying to remember her meditation techniques, although the surge of annoyance was certainly preferable to the rush of panic that someone in the Concern had already known of her plan to bring Adelaide across.

“Just how does a Bluff City native like you get caught up with someone like our Agent Topstitch?” said Adelaide.

Of course, thought Adaire grimly, with some people annoyance was easy to focus on.

Hella frowned. “Topstitch? Oh, you mean Adaire-”

Adelaide shot Adaire a grin, her eyes glittering with amusement. “Oh, yes,  _ Adaire _ .”

“We’re friends,” said Hella simply.

“ _ Really _ ?” said Adelaide, her grin widening. “I didn’t think Concern agents were allowed to have those.”

Adaire glared at her.

Hella laughed. “I guess it helped that I kind of already knew about that stuff, so Adaire wasn’t spilling state secrets or anything.”

“Oh?” said Adelaide, her tone shifting from teasing to genuinely curious, “You’re not from my side of things, are you?”

“Bluff City born and raised,” said Hella, “but I work with a guy who helped someone sneak in from out of town.”

Adaire almost dropped her gun. “What guy?”

“Lem and Fero,” said Hella, “Wait, I told you about this already.”

“ _ No _ , you did  _ not _ ,” said Adaire.

“Yeah I did,” said Hella, “I definitely said that Lem was from out of state. It’s not like it’s secret, they announce it every time he enters the ring.”

“I thought that meant he was from Trenton, not  _ Blough City _ ,” said Adaire.

Hella shrugged.

“I suppose it’s reassuring to know that such a thing is possible,” said Adelaide.

“But  _ how _ is it possible,” said Adaire, “I’ve met them and they’re not the most… subtle.”

Hella laughed. “I dunno. I think Fero said he had some tech or something, or he used to. Some kind of early warning device.”

Adaire grabbed the car keys. “Come on.”

“I thought you wanted me to stay here?” said Adelaide.

“I do,” said Adaire, “but I’m going to need that tech and just because we’re in Bluff City that doesn’t mean you’re not in danger, so you’re coming too.”

“Where?” said Hella, following Adaire out the door.

“To wherever Fero is right now,” said Adaire.

“Then you’ll need me to come too,” said Hella, ”He and Lem booked the ring to get in some private practise tonight and you’ll need my key to get in.”

“I can pick a lock,” said Adaire.

Adelaide draped herself across Adaire’s shoulders. “Why pick a lock when the key’s right here with us?”

Hella’s cheeks flushed again. Irritation, or something like it, spiked in Adaire’s stomach.

“Fine,” said Adaire, “Come on.”

They rode in silence to the old Bluff City Convention Centre, Adaire’s eyes flicking between the road and the rear-vision mirror, half to make sure they weren’t being followed and half because Adelaide kept catching her eye as she stretched languidly across the back seat, her fingertips close to touching the ends of Hella’s hair.

Hella’s cheeks had deepened to a deep pink by the time they pulled into the parking lot of the Promenade. True to Hella’s word, they did need her key, first to get them in through the back entrance of the Convention Centre, and then into the arena itself. It was probably good to have her as cover in any case - a wrestler visiting the arena with two guests drew much less attention from security than two strangers roaming the halls even if it wouldn’t pass by Concern scrutiny if any agents thought to look for them there.

Also true to Hella’s word, Fero and Lem were in the ring, Lem throwing himself off the ropes from one side to another, pausing as Fero performed a flip off the top rope. Hella let out a cheer as Fero landed and Fero laughed, moving to lean over the side of the ropes to look down at them.

“Hey!” said Fero, “There’s these newbies that we- oh, hey Adaire.”

Lem straighted, moving to stand next to Fero. Now that she knew, she could see some of Blough City in Lem’s posture, just a little too rigid for a Bluff City boy.

“Hella tells me you have a piece of technology from out of town,” said Adaire.

Fero narrowed his eyes, his gaze flicking to Adelaide and then back to Adaire. “Maybe I do. Why do you want it?”

“To use it,” said Adaire.

“Well, yeah, obviously,” said Fero, “But like, why? Don’t you guys have your own stuff?”

Adaire shot Hella a look.

“I only told them!” said Hella, “I mean, they already knew about all that stuff!”

Adelaide laughed. “To think they were about to  _ promote  _ you.”

Adaire ignored her. “I did but… you might say that I handed in my resignation a short time ago.”

“I didn’t think they let, uh, people in your line of work resign,” said Lem.

“They don’t,” said Adaire, “That’s why I need the tech.”

“Oh,” said Lem. He looked to Fero.

Fero wrinkled his nose, thinking for a moment before he swung himself down. “Okay.”

“Just like that?” said Adaire warily.

“You’re helping her get out of there, right?” said Fero, gesturing towards Adelaide, “So, like,  _ okay _ .”

“Is it quite so obvious?” said Adelaide.

Fero’s eyes went to Lem for a moment. “Only if you know how to look for it.”

Something flickered across Lem’s expression as their eyes met, and he scrambled down to follow them as they headed towards the change rooms. Lem’s hand found Fero’s as they walked, and Fero grinned up at him. Lem smiled back, a little tentative but no less warm.

They broke apart as Fero opened his locker, rummaging through it for a moment before he produced what looked like a navy blue polaroid camera. He handed it to Adaire.

“Film?” said Adaire.

Fero shrugged. “Doesn’t use any. Just point the camera, take a photo, and if anyone in the photo has a crab head, run.”

“Fero,” said Hella, glancing towards Lem, “Don’t you still need this?”

“Nah, I’ve got a pretty good feel for it now…” His eyes slid past her to the window of one-way glass that ran along the wall. He reached out, fumbling for Lem’s sleeve. “Uh, like  _ right now _ actually.”

Adaire followed his gaze, her heart freezing in her chest at the sight of three grey-suited people through the glass. They were moving slowly, checking each of the rooms in the hallway outside, each one bringing them closer to the change room doors.

“Back exit?” whispered Adaire.

“Bathroom window,” Fero whispered back, his hand tight on Lem’s wrist. “This way, this way, this way-”

It had clearly been used as an exit before, the glass pane far easier to remove and replace than Adaire would have thought. She shot Fero a look.

He shrugged. “For Lem-based emergencies.”

“ _ Hey _ ,” said Lem.

Fero leant up on his tiptoes, pressing a quick kiss to Lem’s cheek and grinning at the immediate flush across Lem’s face. “Come on, no security cameras down this way.”

He led them down one alley, then another, then another, until they were back on Bluff City streets, heading for the boardwalk as rain began to fall again. The familiar smell of baking bread drifting from the bakery on the corner, one Adaire recognised as Hella’s favourite. She pressed her lips together. Years of training itched at the back of her mind.

“We should probably split up,” said Adaire, “They’re not after you.”

“They might decide to be,” said Lem, sounding more than a little unsteady.

“We’ve got a place we can go,” said Fero, “we know a guy who- he’s safe.” He paused. “You?”

Adaire pressed her lips together, a map of the city unfolding in her mind. “We’ve got a place too.”

“I don’t want to walk all the way back  _ there _ ,” said Adelaide.

“A different place,” said Adaire.

Adelaide raised her eyebrows. “Just how many places do you have?” 

“Enough,” said Adaire.

Hella put a hand on Fero and Lem’s shoulders, squeezing quickly before she let go. “Good luck.”

Fero huffed a laugh. “Yeah, you too.”

He took Lem’s hand, pulling him down the street in the direction of the bakery. Adaire led Adelaide and Hella in the opposite direction, taking the twisting alleyways and sidestreets in loops until they reached the city’s fourth-best laundromat. 

“Really?” said Adelaide.

Adaire ignored her, heading into the thin path between the laundromat and the pet shop on the other side. About half-way along the wall was a sliding door. She carefully unlocked it, sliding the door back as quietly as possible as she looked over the room. Glancing back to make sure the other two were still behind her, she headed up the small staircase, checking for hidden devices along the railing that ran along the wall. She swept the room carefully before she went to the windows, securing the blinds before the turned on one of the low lamps, casting a golden illumination onto Hella and Adelaide’s faces.

“All clear,” said Adaire.

Hella let out a long breath. She made a circuit of the small space, taking in the wide, low bed across the ancient tube tv, the tall bookshelves with it’s collection of books and board games covered in a layer of dust, the small wardrobe that was pressed against the furthest wall.

Adelaide sat down on the bed, glancing around. “Quite a place.”

“Thank you,” said Adaire. “We’ll need to stay here at least until the morning.”

“I’ll take first watch,” said Hella, “That’s what you guys do in this kind of situation, right?”

“Sure,” said Adaire.

She sat down on the opposite side of the bed, toeing off her shoes. After a moment of hesitation Hella followed her, sitting down between her and Adelaide. She pushed herself back until she was sitting against the headboard. Adelaide reclined backwards, gracefully settling herself next to Hella’s side. Hella’s cheeks flushed.

Adaire lay back, her eyes focussed on the stairs. The rumble of the washing machines drifted in from below them, mixing with the drumming of the rain outside. Adaire’s eyes grew heavy, the time between blinks growing longer without her meaning to let it. 

When she could force them open again the room had grown darker. Her eyes slowly adjusted, letting her make out the familiar shapes of the furniture, and then Hella and Adelaide beside her. Hella had slid down slightly, eyes closed and face soft in sleep. Adelaide’s hand stilled for a moment where she had been carding a hand softly through Hella’s hair.

Adaire’s throat ached. She pressed her lips together. Even if she could have found the words around the tightness of her throat, she wouldn’t have wanted to disturb Hella’s rest.

Slowly, Adelaide began the movement of her hand again. Adaire watched it, feeling herself drift in and out with it as the sound of the rain outside slowed as the sky peeking in through the curtains began to lighten.

Hella’s eyes fluttered open. She looked up at them both, the flush on her cheeks visible even in the low light.

“Guess I’m not much of a bodyguard,” said Hella, her voice still rough with sleep.

“You’re not a trained agent,” said Adaire.

“I guess not,” said Hella wryly. She looked at Adelaide. “How’d you stay awake?”

Adelaide smiled. “I’m from a City that rarely sleeps.”

Hella sat up slightly, Adelaide’s hand dropping from her hair to her shoulder. She seemed not to mind the contact, leaning sleepily against Adaire’s shoulder. Adaire swallowed, meeting Adelaide’s gaze. Adelaide smiled, the expression softer than Adaire expected from her, the sight of it making her chest feel tight. Slowly, Adaire raised her hand to rest on Hella’s other shoulder, a mirror image of Adelaide’s. She could see a murky version of their reflection in the tv screen across from them, the slow smile spreading across Hella’s face. The ache in Adaire’s throat returned, sharp and tight, cutting off her words.

“Guess you have two bodyguards now,” said Hella. 

“I suppose I do,” said Adelaide. She paused. “Not as many as I once had, but I do prefer the quality of them here.” 

Hella huffed a laugh, the warmth of it settling under Adaire’s ribs and spreading out, chasing away the tightness in her throat. She couldn’t quite stop the smile twitching at the corners of her lips. 

“Still as charming as ever.” 

“I would say that I try but it’s really just my natural state,” said Adelaide. 

Hella laughed, reaching up to touch Adaire and Adelaide’s hands. Adelaide flexed her wrist, tangling their fingers together. Adaire moved a little slower, shifting so that her palm was under Hella’s. Hella let her take her time, watching the movement of Adaire’s hand from under her lashes.

“Thank goodness I managed to find the two of you,” said Adelaide, her voice a little too soft to hold the sarcasm that Adaire suspected that she meant to deliver it with, judging by the light flush in her cheeks.

Hella lifted Adelaide’s hand to her lips, pressing a light kiss to the back of her hand before she turned her head, doing the same to Adaire’s.

”Don’t mention it,” said Adaire, feeling a little dazed. 

“Don’t worry,” says Adelaide, sounding just as struck as Adaire felt, “I will. As often as possible.”

Hella huffed a laugh, relaxing back further. Adelaide and Adaire followed her down, the mattress soft underneath them. Adaire watched Adelaide and Hella’s faces, lit by the purple-pink illumination of the early morning light.

Bluff City could be a dark and dangerous place at time, but in this moment it felt a little brighter.

**Author's Note:**

> come say hi: mariusperkins on most places


End file.
